Dispensing roll mounting means



Sept. 18, 1962 E. A. FILIPOWICZ 3,054,546

DISPENSING ROLL MOUNTING MEANS Filed April 28, 1960 45 g; \1 a f: 3;

' INVENTOR.

ATTORNH LS'.

3,054,546 DISPENSENG RGLL MDUNIING MEANS Edwin A. Fiiipowiez, Milwaukee, Wis assignor to Fort Howard Paper Company, Green Bay, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Apr. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 25,336 3 Claims. ((31. 226194) This invention relates to improvements in roll towel dispensers having readily removable rolls.

In dispensing cabinets for roll towels it not infrequently happens that the dispensing rollers must be removed for repair or replacement; and it is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide construction where the paper dispensing rollers can be quickly removed and replaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roll towel dispenser having upright end supports, with novel means embodied in said supports fo readily removably supporting the dispensing rollers.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a device as above described wherein the features of the present invention may be used in connection with a cabinet having a removable dispensing unit, there being novel means at the ends of the dispensing unit for readily removably supporting the dispensing rollers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roll towel dispensing cabinet which is relatively inexpensive in construction, foolproof in operation, and otherwise well adapted for the purpose described.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the invention, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a roll towel cabinet dispensing unit showing portions of the back and bottom walls of the outer cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through the dispensing unit, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, the dot and dash lines indicating a withdrawn position of one of the dispensing roll trunnions;

FIG. 3 is a view of the opposite end of the dispensing unit from FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, the dot and dash lines indicating a withdrawn position of the associated dispensing roll supporting trunnions; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View through one of the end plate lugs.

The present invention is designed particularly for use in connection with a removable dispensing unit for use in a towel cabinet of the type illustrated in Dahlin application Serial No. 22,763, filed April 18, 1960, and in Dahlin et a1. application, Serial No. 848,396, filed October 23, 1959. While the invention is particularly suited for use in connection with dispensers for paper towels, it may also be used in dispensers for cloth toweling. A portion of the back wall of the outer cabinet is shown at 11 in FIG. 1 and a portion of the bottom wall 12 is also illustrated, the dispensing unit being removably connected to the back wall by screws 13 which extend from the outer side of the back wall into a back portion of the unit to detachably anchor the unit 10 in position in the outer cabinet, as shown in FIG. 1.

The dispensing unit 10 includes end plates 14 and 15 which are suitably connected by transverse members including a transverse bottom member 16. In cabinets of the type under consideration, there are usually two paper feed rollers which pull the paper from a supply roll and cause it to be projected from a bottom opening in the cabinet, as is fully set forth in the copending applications. One of these rolls 17 is usually larger than the other and 3,854,545 Patented Sept. 18, 1952 is customarily termed a dispensing roll inasmuch as it advances a predetermined length of the paper from the supply roll. The other roll 18 is usually a smaller roll and may be conveniently termed a pressure roller.

The dispensing roll of the present invention preferably comprises a core of wood or other suitable material having its gripping surfaces covered with rubber, as at 20. Between the rubber covered portions there may be axially spaced peripheral grooves 21 for a purpose which is not important in the present invention.

Attached to one end of the roller by screws 22 or by any other suitable means is a bearing member 23 preferably formed to a strip of metal bent into bridge shape as shown, and having a bearing hole 24 in the bridge portion 25, there being a hole 26 in the end of the roll which is in alinement with the bearing hole 24.

The end plate 14 of the dispensing unit has stamped-out tongues 27 and 28 which are offset outwardly from the outer surface of the wall 14 and which project in reverse directions from one another. A locking strip 29 which is normally in the upright locking position shown in FIG. 1 carries an inwardly projecting trunnion 3 9 which removably projects through a hole 31 in the side 14 of the dispensing unit. When the parts are in assembled position the trunnion is long enough to extend through the hole 24 in the bridge 25 of the metal bearing member 23 into the bore 26, as shown in FIG. 2. In this way one end of the roll 17 is rotatably supported on the trunnion 313. A horizontal section through the tongue 28 is shown in FIG. 5. Here it may be seen that the free end is grooved as at 36 to provide a rounded rib 37 on the inner side. It is also to be noted that the metal allows the tongues to yield somewhat on the bend portion 38 so that the tongues normally bear yieldingly against the locking strip to hold it in locking position. The tongue 27 is the same as 28 only reversed.

At the other end of the roll 17 there is an axial bore 32 for receiving an inner portion of the hub 33 of a gear member 34, said hub having an axial hole 35 therethrough.

The gear may be connected to the end of the roll 17 by screws 39 or by any other suitable means. The end plate 15 of the dispensing unit has stamped-out tongues 40 and 41 which are just like the tongues 27 and 28 on the end plate 14 and shown in FIG. 1. The tongue 40 is the same as the tongue shown in FIG. 5 and the tongue 41 is the same in reverse. A locking strip 42 like the locking strip 29 of FIG. 1 and which is normally in the upright position shown in FIG. 3 carries an inwardly projecting tongue 43 which removably projects through a hole 44 in the side 15 of the dispensing unit. When the parts are in assembled position the trunnion is long enough to extend into the bearing hole 35 of the gear 34 as shown in FIG. 4. Thus the roll 17 is rotatably supported on the trunnions 30 and 43.

The front edges 45 of the end plates 14 and 15 are notched inwardly as at 46 with the lower edges 47 of the notches forming a supporting surface for the trunnions 48 of the pressure roller 18. Springs 49 having one end hooked around the trunnions 48 and having the other end hooked to the end plates as at 50, normally hold the pressure roller 18 in the assembled position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The outer ends of the springs engage grooves near the ends of the trunnions as illustrated, and by unhooking said ends from the grooves, the pressure roller 18 may be quickly released and removed.

The gear 34 on the end of the roll 17 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is driven by another gear 51 which may be rigidly mounted on a crank-operated shaft 52, as is 7 position of FIG. 1.

more fully described in ccpending application Serial No. 848,396, heretofore'referred to.

Use of the Invention Inasmuch as the rubber coverings 2% on the roll 17, and the rubber covering on the pressure roller 18 may from time to time need replacement, it is convenient to be able to readily remove the rolls for this purpose. It may also be necessary from time to time to replace the gear 34. After long usage it may even be necessary to entirely replace the rolls. With the features of the present invention, this may be easily and quickly done.

To remove the dispensing roll :17, it is merely neces- ,sary to open the outer cabinet as is clear from the copending applications, and then remove the screws '13 -from the back wall 11 of the outer cabinet to release the dispensing unit. The dispensing unit may then be withdrawn from the cabinet. Next the end locking strip 29 is rotated 90 degrees, due to rotation of its trunnion in the bearing holes, to the dot and dash line The locking strip 42 at the opposite end is similarly rotated to the dot and dash line'position of FIG. 3. Then the locking strip 29 is pulled out as shown in FIG. 2 to pull the turnnion 30 with it. Likewise, the locking strip 42 is pulled out to withdraw the trunnion 43 as shown in FIG. 4. This releases the dispensing roll 17 and the latter may be quickly removed. To replace the dispensing roll the reverse procedure is carried out, the end portions of the locking strips 39 and 42 engaging underneath, the rib portions 37 of the tongues 27-28 and 40-41. The tongues yield outwardly slightly during this engagement and tend to bear yieldingly against the strip during rotation of the strip toward locking position and to thereafter spring inwardly to holding position with the ribs along the side edges of the strips, as in FIG. 5, to prevent accidental rotation of the strips toward disengaged position.

' to be engaged by a longitudinal edge of said trunnion a To remove the pressure roller 18, it is merely necessary to unhook the outer ends of the springs 49. This frees the pressure roller so that it may be quickly withdrawn from the notches 46. a t

It is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the exact details of construction shown a and described for obvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a roll towel dispenser having spaced upright end 7 walls with alined holes, short trunnion pins projecting outer portions of the trunnion pins and positioned flat against the outer sides of said end walls, said strips when in one position of rotation with the ruunion pins being laterally movable to Withdraw'the trunnion pins from the holes in the dispensing roll to release the latter, and diametrically opposed reversely facing yielding tongues on the end walls, each having a connecting portion at one end joined to the wall and each tongue projecing transversely relative to one of the flat trunnion supporting strips when engaging the latter, with the free end of each tongue positioned to receive said trunnion supporting strip thereunder when the latter is in a predetermined position of rotation on the end wall to lock the trunnion pin and strip in assembled position, said end connecting portion of each tongue being positioned supporting strip to serveas a stoptfor the latter.

2. In a roll towel dispenser having spaced upright end walls, a dispensing roll having ends, mounting means for each of said ends rotatably mounting the roll between said end walls, the mounting means fortat least one of said ends including a hole in the end wall and comprising: a fiat, elongated trunnion support on the outer side of said end wall mounted for movement in a plane parallel to and against the end wall, a short trunnion pin projecting inwardly from said support through the hole in the end Wall, there being a hole in the adjacent end of the dispensing roll for removably receiving said trunnion pin, said trunnion support being laterally movable with the trunnion pin to withdraw the latter from the hole in the dispensing roll end to release the latter, and yielding tongues on said end Wall positioned for yielding engagement over said trunnion support when the latter is in one position of movement in said plane of movement for releasablylocking said trunnion support in assembled position against the outer side of said end wall, said' tongues and flat elongated trunnion support forming the sole means for removably retaining said trunnion pin in engaging position in the hole of the end Wall and in the hole of the dispensing end wall for movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the end wall, a short trunnion pin carried by and projecting from said supporting piece through the hole in the end wall, there being a hole in the adjacent end of the dispensing roll for removably receiving said trunnion pin, said supporting piece, when in one position of movement in said plane of movement being laterally movable to withdraw the trunnion pin from the hole in the dispensing roll to release the latter, and integral, yielding tongues stamped from said end wall, each tongue having a connecting portion at one end forming the integral connection with the wall and each tongue projecting transversely of the flat trunnion supporting piece when engaging the latter, with the free end of the tongue positioned to receive said trunnion supporting strip thereunder when the latter is in another position of movement in said plane of movement, to lock the trunnion pin and supporting piece in assembled position, said end connecting portion ot'each tongue being p0- sitioned to be engaged by a longitudinal edge of said trunnion supporting piece to serve as a stop for the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 888,395 Freborg May 19, 1908 1,272,787 Flanigan July 16, 1918 1,629,459 Jenkins May 17, 1927 1,751,246 Morin Mar. 18, 1930 2,537,783 Morris Jan. 9, 1951 2,772,133 Birr Nov; 27, 1956 2,917,249 MacLelland Dec. '15, 1959 2,973,958 Casey et a1. Mar. 7, 1961 'FOREIGN PATENTS 521,621 Italy Mar. 30, 1955 

